How can you help someone develop a growth mindset?

1 Explain the concept

The first step is to explain the concept of growth mindset and its benefits to the person you want to help. You can use examples, stories, or metaphors to illustrate how a growth mindset can help them overcome obstacles, learn from feedback, and achieve their goals. You can also share your own experiences of how a growth mindset has helped you or someone you admire. The aim is to help them understand the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and how their mindset can affect their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

2 Praise the process

The second step is to praise the process rather than the outcome or the ability of the person you want to help. This means focusing on their effort, strategies, persistence, and improvement, rather than their results, intelligence, or talent. For example, instead of saying "You are so smart", you can say "You worked so hard on this project". This way, you can help them appreciate the value of hard work, learning, and growth, rather than relying on their innate abilities or comparing themselves to others.

3 Provide constructive feedback

The third step is to provide constructive feedback that helps the person you want to help improve and learn from their mistakes. This means giving specific, actionable, and balanced suggestions that highlight their strengths and areas for improvement. For example, instead of saying "This is wrong", you can say "This is a good start, but you can improve it by doing this". You can also ask them questions that help them reflect on their performance, such as "What did you learn from this experience?" or "How can you do better next time?".

4 Model a growth mindset

The fourth step is to model a growth mindset yourself and show the person you want to help how you approach challenges, setbacks, and feedback. You can share your own goals, strategies, and progress with them, and show them how you cope with difficulties, learn from failures, and celebrate successes. You can also demonstrate how you seek feedback, ask for help, and embrace new opportunities for growth. By doing this, you can inspire them to follow your example and adopt a similar attitude.

5 Encourage experimentation

The fifth step is to encourage experimentation and exploration of new ideas, skills, and experiences. You can help the person you want to help discover their interests, passions, and strengths, and support them to pursue them. You can also challenge them to try new things, take risks, and step out of their comfort zone. You can help them see failure as a learning opportunity, not a personal flaw, and help them cope with frustration, fear, and uncertainty. You can also celebrate their efforts, achievements, and growth, and help them recognize their progress and potential.

6 Foster a supportive environment

The sixth and final step is to foster a supportive environment that promotes a growth mindset. You can do this by surrounding the person you want to help with positive and constructive people who share a growth mindset and who can offer them guidance, feedback, and encouragement. You can also help them avoid or challenge negative and limiting influences that can undermine their growth mindset, such as criticism, comparison, or pressure. You can also help them create a positive and empowering self-talk that reinforces their growth mindset, such as "I can do this" or "I can learn from this".

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?